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Topic Review (Newest First)

09-20-2012 12:15 PM

T_well

Re: Hunter 23 questions - homemade rudder

Glad I found this site. I'm about to purchase an '85 H23 that seems to be sound. It has been in a slip for at least the last 5 years. I plan to trailer sail it though. It is sailable as is but needs interior upkeep on the cushions. It was completely dry inside, comes with trailer, 5 HP motor, main and 2 jibs rather genoas. He was only asking $2500. I think after reading this that I got a good deal.

03-01-2012 12:24 AM

newbee

Wow! I think that's a lot as well. We bought our Hunter 22 last year and had a ball learning to sail in Portland Maine. We paid 3,500 and had the mast rigging redone. Then bought a new 8.5 electric start motor. The rigging was about 1,000 and the motor was 1,700 I think. I redid all the cushions and she sails like a charm and is beautiful. Do you live in Maine? We are looking for a liveaboard and our little Hunter is for sale.

02-27-2012 11:14 PM

Hardyw38

Used Hunter 23 rudder for sale

I have a used rudder from a hunter 23 for sale. I have the entire assembly and it is in good condition, asking $150.
Hardy

10-02-2011 07:28 PM

itsaboat

Thanks baboon,
It is a clean boat, but ultimately we could not agree on fair value. I am moving on in the search for our first boat. I looked at a 1985 Pearson 27 and a 1986 Catalina 27 today that both looked pretty good. I will be asking the SailNet community for their opinions on these two soon.

10-01-2011 01:37 PM

baboon

It looks to be a pretty clean small boat, and with newer sails and rigging it could be worth a look if you can get the price down enough to offset the cost of a motor. One thing is to make sure you, the owner, and perhaps someone with trailer sailer experience puts the whole thing together prior to purchase. There are lots of small parts than can get lost, the rigging might be new, but not the right size, sails can look fine in the bag, but not fit the boat or furller.

The rudder is still an issue, not only is it just a flat board instead of a foil, I am not sure if corain is up to the task. I understand it is great as a surface for counters, but I do not know how resistant it is to bending and breaking. I agree with the previous post about fabricating a plywood/glass rudder to have in reserve. It would not be a hard or expensive project.

09-28-2011 06:02 PM

itsaboat

Thanks for all the input everyone! I did go to see the boat this week. He has done quite a bit of work and pointed it all out. In addition to refinishing all of the teak, he has replaced a starboard bulkhead and reseated the leaking chainplate that caused it. He did nice work on the wood and fiberglass. Refinished the iron keel, and painted and buffed the hull. He ordered some new standing rigging to replace lines that were kinked. He says he has plenty of running rigging around to refit the entire boat for me. The mainsail is almost new from Sail Warehouse and the jib looks good. I don't know what type of jib it is. He offered to throw in a roller furler/jib if I wanted it. He also replaced all of the electrical switches. It is missing the swim ladder. Maybe it was never installed, or the holes where covered since.

Everyplace on the boat is dry, but of course it hasn't been in the water in a while. The keel bolts look shiny, and the cabin smells like it has been dry for the duration of its life.

The trailer is in okay shape, but the tires are showing some dry rot. I did not check the bearings.

The boat was in fresh water all of it's life. Is there anything else I should look into? I get a pretty good feeling from the guy, he has been refurbishing boats for 12 yrs since his retirement. He is just asking a too much without a motor.

We think that a trailer sailor will work best for our first boat. We can store it on the trailer at the local marina for a fraction of the slip fees and we can take it to other local lakes in Arkansas if we want. We want a modest cabin and room for 4 people at least. I don't want to get in too deep financially into the first boat in case we want to either move up in a year (likely), or want to leave sailing (unlikely) and sell it. I don't mind adding a few items (VHF, stereo, depth/speed, clamcleats, etc...), but I also want it to be water ready. This one seems like it might fit these criteria. Unfortunately, there just are not that many boats for sale in this area that do.

Thanks again for the input.

09-28-2011 04:34 PM

CalebD

We paid $4K for our Tartan 27' with a working Atomic 4 engine in sail away condition 8 years ago.
$5K for a H 23 without an engine is just delusional unless they had used the Corian for the galley counter top. The rudder shape looks fine but is certainly an unusual choice of material.
IMHO, $4K is too much and $3K about right since you'll want to add a motor.

As others indicated, it is a buyers market so keep looking around.

09-28-2011 04:20 PM

MarkCK

Unless you are in Florida it is late in the season. Sailboats really weren't selling that well at the begining of the summer. The owner will probably be sitting on this boat all winter. Wait a month or so and then put in a bid. Or just spend the winter looking at other boats that have owners that really don't want to wait till spring when the boat shoppers come out.

09-28-2011 03:43 PM

SHNOOL

For the record, I bought a Capri 22, fixed wing keel, trailer, running 6hp motor, and none of these mods (and roller furling, and spinnaker, mainsail boot, and race options) for $4800 in June.

I have seen tons of the Hunter 23s in and around my area for between $3000 and $5000 with a trailer. They are good boats, and sail well (I am not anti-hunter), but it sounds like the guy might be about $1500 or so high (at best).

Look at EVERYTHING. Tires? bearings (are they bearing buddies?) Trailer lights? Brakes on the trailer? Like others said, sails (those are the most expensive thing save the motor). Running rigging (are all the lines chafed? or mold/mildew?). Look at the chainplates (are they rusted? twisted? missing UGH)... Shrouds, look for ginks, and twists, and frays. Turnbuckles on shrouds.. look for bends, and stripped threads.

I think I got the hot points. Quote the guy the price for a used 6hp motor ($600), and a new rudder ($500)... and lower the boat's offer accordingly. Then follow up with deductions for anything else on the above list that is wrong (and will cost you money to replace). Rather, deduct these monies from KBB or NADA value of the boat.

I have to say, I knew what I purchased with my boat... it needs work. Lines, standing rigging, and bottom paint. The motor was unknown (no way to test). when I bought it it ran great... after 2 weeks use, nothing. Carb rebuild and various other work ($300 later)... viola' working again. With that said, it was still sailed all summer by me... so technically it is "sail away." I am just picky how I want it to be going forward.

Anyway sounds like we all say look at it, but keep in mind a replacement (rudder) might be in line.

09-28-2011 03:34 PM

emoney

I'm going with the rest of the "peanut gallery" and agree that it seems a tad much. I'm not a fan of aftermarket rudders, and that's speaking from experience. The engineer behind this model's rudder had specific forces and dynamics in mind when he/she came up with it's final dimensions. If nothing else, purchase the boat and then get a replacement rudder that meets those dimensions as designed. Good luck regardless what you decide and do keep us informed.

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